DARLINGTON — Although the weather was damp and chilly at Sieg Field, the bats were red hot as Darlington and Argyle recorded nine hits each in a 5-1 game that favored the Orioles on Tuesday, March 28.
Senior Hannah Gierhart went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles to lead the squad. Teammate Ava Wiegel also smashed three hits, two of which were for extra bases.
“We came up big. Ava Wiegel and Hannah Gierhart came up with some huge hits,” Argyle coach Heidi Ganshert said. “That’s big for us. Out of nine, I play five freshmen, so it was nice for our upperclassmen to come through.”
The Orioles jumped early on Redbird starting pitcher Sophie Wiegel. Lexi Wonders led off the second inning with an infield single, and Sam Kammes overcame an 0-2 count to reach with a walk. Wonders came around to score on an error by Lylah Norgard.
Gierhart and Ava Wiegel kicked off the third inning with back-to-back doubles. Darlington head coach Molly Rice then made a pitching change, subbing in Sydney Wiegel. She struck out the first batter, but another run came across on a fielder’s choice. Sydney Wiegel retired the last batter in five pitches.
The Redbirds sent five batters to the plate in the third but were unable to score.
Besides a hit by pitch, Sydney Wiegel had a clean fourth inning. She struck out the first batter and induced two ground balls to slow Argyle’s momentum.
“I have trust in all three pitchers,” Rice said in Sydney Wiegel’s relief duties. “For her — or any of them at any moment — to come in and change the pace of the game is huge.”
Darlington looked to steal the momentum in the bottom of the fourth, as Norgard reached on a two-base error. She smoked a line drive to left that popped in and out of Wonders’ glove. Jaylyn Schwartz also reached on an error, putting Norgard 60 feet from home.
Argyle starting pitcher Mya McNett escaped the jam by inducing a ground ball to second baseman Kyleah Mick.
Just as they did in the top of the third, Ava Wiegel and Gierhart led off the fifth inning with back-to-back hits. With a four-pitch walk to Wonders, the Orioles had the bases loaded. Darlington was able to limit the damage to just one run that inning, thanks to two catches in foul territory by catcher Maddy Corley.
“We had a great catcher last year in Great Volkening — First-Team All-Conference — so she [Maddy] has been waiting her turn,” Rice said. “She’s very athletic behind the plate, and you’re going to see that throughout the season. She has a great arm, and she’s willing to put her body on the line.”
The Redbirds pushed a run across in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kylie Butler led off with a four-pitch walk. She advanced to third on passed balls and came around to score on a fielder’s choice.
Despite a leadoff double from Ashlynn Norgard in the final frame, Darlington was unable to score another run. The team collected nine hits but left 13 runners on base.
“I saw improvements in the batting department,” Rice said, comparing her team’s performance to its one-hit season opener. “That was our focus here the last week of practice. The girls really took that seriously. The next step now is to string those hits together.”
Chance Lang and Cayla Golackson collected two hits each to lead the Redbirds. Sophie Wiegel suffered the loss, giving up two earned runs in two innings pitched. Sydney Wiegel threw the remaining five innings, allowing another two earned runs on four hits.
Ava Wiegel and Gierhart had three hits and two doubles each for the Orioles. McNett collected the win in the circle, throwing a complete game. She gave up one earned run on five hits, striking out six batters.
